Plus, AnyMind raises US$13.5 million and P&G invests US$30 million into e-center

In the most concrete move of Go-Jek’s impending entrance into Singapore, the company has launched a online portal for future drivers to sign up for the service.

After registering, they will receive notifications closer to the date about how to officially apply to the platform.

Go-Jek has yet to clarify whether it will roll out its own vehicle fleet or lease from third party operators. It is, however, said to be in talks with Singapore’s largest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro.

As of today, Go-Jek is expected to launch in Singapore in late-November.

Singapore AdTech company AnyMind Group raises US$13.5 million Series B from LINE

AnyMind Group, a Singapore-based startup that provides adtech, marketing and HR solutions, has raised US$13.5 million in a Series B round led by LINE Corporation and Mirai Creation Fund, a SPARX Group-operated fund backed by Japanese bank SMBC and Toyota Motors.

AnyMind’s most famous property is AdAsia Holdings, which made waves in 2017 for incredibly fast regional expansion.

The company has five subsidiaries under its umbrella: adtech company AdAsia Holdings, influencer marketing platform CastingAsia, recruitment platform TalentMind, and online publisher trading desks FourM and Acqua Media.

Indian medical supplies aggregator Medikabazaar raises US$5 million Series A — [Press Release]

Medikabazaar, a Mumbai company that has become a one-stop-shop for buying medical supplies, announced today it has raised a US$5 million Series A round led by HealthQuad.

HealthQuad is a VC-firm that focusses entirely on health-related companies.

“We have strategically partnered with HealthQuad to strengthen our foothold in the healthcare industry. Our goal of providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare services is mirrored by HealthQuad,” said Vivek Tiwari, the Founder and CEO of Medikabazaar.

The money will be used to improve its technology and hire more employees.

OnePlus launches smartphone in US market — [CNBC]

The luxury Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus has launched in America via a partnership with Qualcomm and T-Mobile, according to CNBC.

The report also says that OnePlus is now the number-three customer for Qualcomm chips after Samsung and LG.

The decision will receive higher scrutiny because of the recent Huawei fallout in regards to the China-US trade war. However, OnePlus is attacking an entirely different market and will compete more directly with Apple as its phones are considered high-scale.

A total of US$30 million is being added into Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) digital innovation center in Singapore just one year after its initial joint launch with the Economic Development Board (EDB). It is a continuation of the initial US$100 million the company supplied in the launch, as reported by Business Times.

This new investment is a part of the launch of E-Center 2.0, the moniker used for the expansion project of its existing digital innovation programme with the EDB.

Through the E-Center, P&G seeks to support partners and employees by equipping them with relevant skills to leverage digital technology and solve business problems.